Many people today are unaware of the chronic disease of sleep apnea. It is very much possible that even the patients may be unaware of this disease themselves and may realize this much later. The symptoms are so commonplace that we may always find one reason or the other for them. Getting easily tired, sleeping during the day, memory loss, depression are some of the symptoms.
Apnea means “break in breathing”. In sleep apnea, the patient stops breathing during the sleep. It is mainly caused by narrowing of the upper airway muscles as they relax, when a person is sleeping. This causes loud snoring and reduction of oxygen in the blood as a result of which, the patients keeps getting aroused in the sleep for as much as about 80 times in one hour. This eventually leads the patient to sleep less even if they seem to be sleeping for almost 10 to 12 hours. So it is no wonder that the patient feels tired and sleepy all through the day.
The most effective treatment available for obstructive sleep apnea is CPAP therapy. In this therapy, there is a CPAP machine which delivers the pressurized air through a hose to a CPAP mask. This pressurized air helps in keeping the upper airway open so that the patient can breathe properly during sleep. The air pressure in the sleep apnea machines is set as prescribed by the sleep physician.
Sleep apnea being a chronic disease stays for as long as the patient lives. So, proper care needs to be taken to gain the benefits of the CPAP therapy.
